A Stitch in Time Saves What's Mine
by Correcthorsebatterystaple
Summary: '"Please tell me today's date," Kaneki cracked his right index finger, by then a comforting habit. But her answer made his heart leap into his throat. It couldn't be. ...That was the day he went on his first date. A date with Rize Kamishiro.' Kanekicest/self-cest, time travel
1. Chapter 1

The thick smell of blood and naturally, sewage, permeated the sewer that Kaneki Ken stumbled into. Through the tear in his bodysuit, drops of blood slid down his side in a disgusting caress of carmine. Delirious, he slumped down the nearest wall, landing in a heap of knees and elbows that felt too weighted for him to move.

There, he swam in and out of consciousness, a tourist in the waking world thinking such absurd things as _'I'm going to be late for school if I don't get up. Hide will be mad...'_

In the odd moments of lucidity, Kaneki felt like he had kicked a dog. He felt like he had ripped someone's arm off. He felt like shit.

Kaneki wasn't sure if those were footsteps or heart beats. Maybe it was 4:44 AM and he was knocking on someone's door. He blinked open bleary eyes, felt the stitchings of bygone grit come unraveled from them, and watched a figure perch down in front of him. Was that Hide? He couldn't focus. Kaneki took in a breath and it smelled like sunlight and video game cases. Yeah, that was Hide.

He could see that his lips were moving. Kaneki wanted to tell him to stop speaking French, because that was Tsukiyama's job.

Hide kept talking. Each time the blond human would say something it was as if he would hear it, but it would only sound like noise moments later. His brain felt sluggish, delayed.

_(No. Hide, you can't see me like this.)_

Kaneki's lips were parting again and again, words spilling out.

"—at me, don't look at me, don't look at me!"

"I've known all along, Kaneki. Who cares about that?" Hide's hands settled on the ghoul's shoulders. They weren't cold, never cold, because Hide didn't get scared. He was safety.

Kaneki took in ragged breaths, hyperventilation slowing down and leaving in its wake a pair of aching lungs.

Hide pushed something into Kaneki's twitching hands.

"Make things right."

A click of a briefcase, and a quinque curled around Kaneki, blotting out the dim light.

* * *

><p>Kaneki woke up like he did on weekends. In stark contrast to the weekdays, when his eyes would fly open to the sound of the alarm and it would leave the lingering sense of falling, he woke slowly. But it wasn't the pleasant rolling over into soft sheets and lazy watching of dust motes drifting in the stream of sunlight coming from his window.<p>

Awareness came with the hot pain in his side, and the stickiness of dried blood. Next, the sounds of cars speeding by, doors swinging shut, and people laughing, talking, crying and shouting turned from white noise to screaming in his ears.

The worst was the smell of people and ghouls. There were so many different scents: sweet, sour, spicy, tangy and savory, all catching Kaneki's attention and making him ache for want of something _(human)_ to eat.

Kaneki decided against taking deep breaths and making it worse. He just clenched his hands and pretended he was a saint in sinner's circumstance.

With that most minute flex of his hands came a searing flash of pain in the white haired ghoul's back, and he came to realize that he was laying on something hard. His hair was hot, and his face felt somewhat sweaty. It felt like the sun was beating down on him, but that made no sense. He was in a dark, damp sewer, he knew. But where did this damn heat come from?

Kaneki opened his eyes and then wished he hadn't. The light of the sky seemed to drill itself into his skull and pound at his temples. His eyes filled with stinging tears and he clenched them shut.

When Kaneki felt ready to try again, he blinked and turned his head weakly. It seemed he was on a bench. Crowds of people passed by, some stopping and staring at the mess that was him. But people were people, and they eventually walked on.

The bench was facing the road, and so Kaneki couldn't see behind him. He braced himself, clenched his teeth and then sat up, reminding himself that he had been through worse. The pain from his side wouldn't kill him. Even when the injury tore open.

It took a moment for the ghoul to recognize what was behind the bench. When he did, he nearly fell off it.

That was Anteiku.

Terror building in his chest, Kaneki practically threw himself off of the bench. He careened towards the cafe, trying not to bump into the crowds of people walking by and into Anteiku. When he pulled the door open, he only heard the bell chime distantly.

Anteiku was pristine. There was no blood, no shattered glass, no screaming. Customers were sitting at tables, chatting inanely. Servers were cleaning plates and preparing coffee and meals.

Touka was serving a window-side table. She looked younger than she had in a long time.

Kaneki narrowed his eyes, "Touka?"

Her eyes snapped to him, and she looked taken aback, then furious. People in the cafe were cowering away. Away from him?

Touka seized his arm and began dragging him away, calling out over her shoulder, "Please excuse my friend here. He's just cosplaying!"

Cosplaying...? Kaneki looked down at the clean and almost reflectory floor, and abruptly realized that he was dripping on it.

Touka all but marched him through the black door that signified an employee only area.

"Who," she grit out, "the hell are you, bastard, and what are you doing scaring our customers? Do you _want_ them to find out about us?"

Kaneki's head hurt. Why was Touka asking who he was? Where was the CCG?

"I'm-" the ghoul opened his mouth to speak, before shaking his head and thinking better of it. If Touka somehow didn't know who he was, then it would just make him look strange if he tried to tell her that she knew him. He needed to play his cards right before he could find out what was going on. "No one impor- aah!"

Kaneki drew in a hiss of pain, swaying on his feet. His hand shot to his bloody side as it throbbed.

"You're bleeding all over our floors," Touka let out a soft huff and crossed her arms over her chest. "You're hungry, right? Stay here."

Touka went ahead. Despite how she seemed to be annoyed, she walked quickly and returned quickly.

"Here," Touka lifted the package in her hands and tossed it over her shoulder to him. Kaneki fumbled to catch it, "Next time, take the back door or something. Anteiku helps ghouls _discreetly."_

The pangs of hunger that stabbed into his stomach were immense when the ghoul opened the packaging. He tore into the macabre meal.

As his side began to heal, the nineteen year old was finally able to think clearly and piece the facts together. It wasn't nighttime and it wasn't raining anymore. That meant...

Kaneki wiped his mouth on his wrist.

"Please tell me today's date," Kaneki cracked his right index finger, by then a comforting habit.

Her answer made his heart leap into his throat. It couldn't be.

...That was the day he went on his first date. A date with Rize Kamishiro.

Kaneki stumbled back, eyes wide. Was he dreaming? No, everything was too real.

Kaneki thought about Sen Takatsuki and his books, thought about that one odd story with the time loops in it. He thought about American TV shows, and he thought about the quinque that Hide had put in his hands.

Hide... He said that he knew about Kaneki. Maybe the quinque was supposed to help somehow.

Actually, where was the quinque? It wasn't on the bench, he _knew_ there was no way he could have missed it.

"What year is it?"

"Do you live under a rock?" Touka asked, but she answered anyway. She stared at him strangely, focusing on his face.

And _oh,_ things were starting to click into place. But these questions that were put to their grave only begot more questions.

Kaneki was in the past, somehow.

Man eating 'monsters', time travel... Once, it would have made him want to curl up in a ball. Instead, he wanted to laugh.

Kaneki remembered what his friend had said in those unraveled moments.

_'Make things right'._

However this was happening, he had to go, didn't he? Because if he never went on that date with Rize, if someone stopped him, none of what happened would be that way. No one would be hurt because of him.

This was a second chance.

_(And then what? He wondered. Without that day, the person he was then wouldn't even exist. Would he become his past self? Would he disappear?)_

Kaneki turned towards the doorway of the meat storage room, throwing a hasty "I have to go," over his shoulder to Touka and darting out of the back rooms. He paid no mind to the people giving him strange glances when he burst into the public area of Anteiku.

Where would he have been at that time? Was he already out with Rize? No, that wasn't it. The Kaneki of the past was at his apartment getting ready.

The ghoul's feet carried him in a blur through a path that he used to know so well. Maybe it was to his death. It didn't matter, as long as he could save his human self, save his friends.

Kaneki wasn't a martyr, not anymore. This was his own, selfish wish. It wasn't '_I'd rather be hurt than hurt others'_. It was _'I'd rather die than be alone'_.

The pale blue apartment came into view, and Kaneki both wanted to walk faster and slow down.

This life... What would it really mean for him if he lost it? It was so easy to think back over his days and remember tragedy. In the story that was his life, the ink ran like blood.

He thought of Hide once again. If he was right, if he really was reversing the past, he hoped that his best friend could be happy with the Kaneki of the past.

All Kaneki could do was hope that he wasn't making a mistake. Time really wasn't something to play with. Maybe if his past self saw him, the world would come to a halt, broken by a breach in time. Or he really would disappear. It made his head hurt to think about.

Of all the things that Kaneki could lament, when thinking back... _I wanted to be the best man at Hide's wedding. I wanted to teach Hinami more kanji._

Kaneki felt calm but regretful as he climbed the stairs. Whatever happened to him, he could accept it. It was the old Kaneki that his friends cherished, wasn't it? Not what he had become. It didn't matter if something happened to him.

_Thank you, Hide... For accepting me. For helping me do this._

That first knock on his own front door would seal his fate, for better or for worse.


	2. Unknown Caller

Kaneki didn't like the number seven. It was the number of sharp raps his knuckles rattled on the door anyway. He didn't like to think about why.

Doubt wasn't present all at once. It seeped into his bones slowly but certainly until he was left staring at the cheerfully colored door as if it would bite him. Life was not a book story, he decided then not for the first nor the last time, or else the door would open on the cue of his knocking. Books liked to glaze over the boring parts, after all.

If life was a book then it was the kind that you threw across the room.

Another set of knocks, harder this time, faster.

Nothing. Not the sound of footsteps, of a voice, of the slightest movement from inside. Kaneki tried the doorknob, not really expecting anything. To his surprise, it swung open.

Kaneki sighed and shook his head, mentally mouthing a mantra of _I won't kick my past self in the face, I won't._ But really, who left their door unlocked with ghouls around?

He stepped inside, surveying the room for a moment before shutting the front door. If he still had any doubts that this was _his_ apartment, then they were gone, now. Because that was _his _copy of 'The Black Goat's Egg' resting on the table, and _his _packaged burger on the counter.

When Kaneki walked further, it became obvious why the door hadn't been answered. He could hear the water cascading from the bathroom that indicated a shower was going.

Kaneki briefly entertained the idea of bursting into the washroom. He walked to his old bedroom instead. He could do without front row tickets to a showing of his past self's scrawny ass, or anything else for that matter.

A push of a bedroom door revealed memories. Kaneki remembered days and nights laying on that bed, counting bumps on the ceiling like they were braille, counting texts from Hide like they were for granted. He remembered panicking over the stains in the carpet when Hide and him got into a water gun fight- except the guns were filled with yogurt. Back when the idea of being shot with bullets was inconceivable.

And Kaneki remembered that white and red kitsune mask, the one that Hide bought for him for the upcoming festival... _Actually, wouldn't it be for the best if I put a mask on? That way, past-Kaneki won't recognize his own face on me. Things will go smoother._

Kaneki nodded to himself and plucked the well-made mask from the corner of the corner of the room. He didn't have his old mask with him, having left it in the future, and his other mask only formed with his kakuja. He lifted it to his face and pulled the strap around the back of his head.

Kaneki moved to sit on the inexpensive bed and resisted the urge to bury his masked face in the pillow. It smelled like home and... Something delicious.

It wasn't very long at all before the door was being pushed open again.

Kaneki remembered a saying: that a person would never be able to see himself in anything but a photo or a reflection. And as his eyes settled on his own face, it left him feeling like he had just woken up from a falling dream.

The other Kaneki yelping broke the sensation.

"Who are you?!"

_I can't say that my name is Kaneki, can I? Then..._ "Shiro."

He supposed that he was stuck with that name, from then on. Shiro laid back on the bed and put his hands behind his head to put Kaneki at ease. Hopefully he wouldn't try to hit him with a baseball bat or something equally stupid.

"If you'd sit down and listen, that would make things easier for the both of us," The ghoul made sure to keep his tone softer than Kaneki's, so that his voice wouldn't be suspicious.

Kaneki hesitated, fingers trembling minutely from their protective stance over his thin chest. He was wearing nothing but underwear.

"Did I stutter?"

"N-no," Kaneki warily inched his way into his bedroom. He settled right next to the door, tense and ready to run.

Shiro got straight to the point, "Don't go on your date today."

"I... What?" It was probably the last thing that Kaneki expected to hear out of his mouth, Shiro knew. He watched the eighteen year old scrunch his face up in bewilderment.

"You have a date with a ghoul named Rize Kamishiro. I think it's self-explanatory why you shouldn't go."

"What?" Kaneki asked again, clearly upset, "Rize is a very nice person! She... She even likes Sen Takatsuki's works. If you're her stalker or something, I'm not just going to-"

"I said," Shiro repeated calmly, "Rize is a ghoul."

Kaneki's breath was coming faster, after his little rant. He was so see-through, Shiro thought. It was too easy to tell that he was mad.

"Prove it. Prove that she is."

"...Don't you think I of all people would know?" Shiro pulled the mask down just enough to expose his eye, and he willed it to turn black and red, "Being a ghoul myself?"

Kaneki's eyes widened. He scrambled to his feet, "St-stay away from me. I'll call the police."

"You could, but you're really not going to. You've opened the book, haven't you? You're not going to put it down until you find out what happens next."

Just like Shiro knew he would, Kaneki slowly sat back down, eyes still distrustful. Behind his mask, Shiro hid a small, triumphant smile.

"Here's what I want you to do. Don't go out at night. Stay with Hide at all times, _don't_ go into any alleyways," Shiro paused, then added as an afterthought, "and lock your damn door."

Kaneki furrowed his eyebrows, "Why do you care so much?"

"Let's just say that I have a self-beneficial interest in your safety."

There really wasn't much more to say, was there? Kaneki would do what he said. He wasn't stupid enough to believe that a ghoul would say that Rize was a ghoul if she wasn't. Shiro knew that Kaneki would think on it more, and eventually reach the conclusion that the ghoul was telling the truth.

His business there was done. Somehow, nothing strange or supernatural had occurred upon meeting Kaneki.

"Remember what I said," Shiro said simply. With that, he turned and left.

* * *

><p>The weather didn't stay nice for very long.<p>

After Shiro had left Kaneki's apartment, he found that he didn't really know what he should do. He wandered around, lost in his own thoughts. People steered clear of him and he steered clear of people. This was an unspoken agreement that he could agree on.

A drop of water hit the back of Shiro's hand, and he blinked up at the rapidly clouding sky. People were beginning to walk faster, complaining about how it had been so sunny earlier.

At least Shiro had swiped one of Kaneki's jackets on the way out the door. After all, he would have attracted too much attention wearing nothing but a skin tight body suit.

Shiro didn't feel like sloshing through puddles. He didn't feel like ducking into a store either. So instead, he sat on a bench, idly thinking that it had probably been a few hours since his conversation with Kaneki.

Shiro put his arm up on the back of the bench and rested his head on it.

_I'm alone,_ Shiro thought absently, _No one knows me. Not the CCG, not Touka, not Tsukiyama..._

Shiro felt the rain stop... But he could still hear it. He breathed in and with that breath came the scent of something familiar, something good. He blinked his eyes open tiredly and saw Kaneki in front of him, holding an umbrella over his head and staring at him shyly.

"What?" Shiro bit out irritably.

"You- you were getting wet. I thought..." Kaneki shook his head, suddenly taking on a determined expression, "Come home with me."

_Where did _that _come from?_

"No."

"Why not? If you have somewhere else to go, then why are you sitting out here?"

Shiro could predict Kaneki's actions to an extent, but this was the last thing he had expected. Kaneki's thoughts and motives had become elusive to him since the torture he had endured. He just couldn't understand that sort of naivety anymore.

"Do you _want_ me to eat you?" Shiro murmured half-heartedly.

"...No?" The damn fool said it like a question. Unlike earlier, Shiro noticed, he was dressed and wearing his cyan jacket. Kaneki's hand that wasn't holding the umbrella up was fidgeting, twisting and untwisting in the fabric of the hoodie, "Rize was going to eat me, right? Just call it repayment for stopping me from going. You can stay with me for however long you need."

"I'm a _ghoul-"_

"And you can't all be bad!" Kaneki interrupted, before looking away abashedly.

_I don't want to be alone. _No matter how strong Shiro wanted to be, he would never really escape his fear of abandonment. Not after his mother's death.

Shiro didn't think he could take it if even Kaneki walked away from him.

"Fine."

"What?"

"You heard me," Shiro stood and cracked his stiff neck before curling his hand into Kaneki's jacket and literally dragging him in the direction of the apartment.

"I can walk by myself-!"

"You're too slow."

_(Kaneki didn't say anything about the jacket.)_

When they got to the apartment, Shiro dripping all over the carpets, Kaneki hurriedly tossed him a towel. Afterwards, he started to look like he had something stuck in his throat.

"Spit it out," Shiro said blankly, "Whatever you want to say, I really don't care."

"O-oh. Well... Could you please take a shower?" Kaneki looked sheepish.

Shiro remembered how he had taken refuge in the sewers. He probably smelled like shit.

"Right. I'm going to go use all your hot water," Shiro deadpanned.

Kaneki's eyes widened, and he reached after the ghoul, "W-wait, I have bills to pay-!"

Shiro slipped inside the bathroom and stifled a smile. Kaneki was strangely fun to mess with. No wonder Hide liked pulling his leg so much.

* * *

><p>Half an hour later, Shiro was laying backwards on Kaneki's bed. He was wearing the brunet's clothes, clothes that were a little too tight. <em>(And if Kaneki's eyes lingered a little too long on his fit stomach every now and then, he paid it no mind. The human didn't know who he was, after all.)<em>

Kaneki was in the kitchen, making coffee for the two of them. He had been surprised when Shiro had told him that ghouls could drink coffee.

Relaxing on a bed that smelled wonderful (Really, it was no wonder Tsukiyama was always sniffing at him. And this was only what he had smelled like as a human. He wondered what he smelled like to others now), letting someone else make him coffee... Shiro could get used to that. The ghoul felt a sleepy affection towards his past self just then. Despite his naivety, Kaneki wasn't so bad.

The nineteen year old was startled out of his thoughts by a faint buzzing noise. He looked towards the bedside table for the culprit, which turned out to be Kaneki's cellphone. Unable to resist curiousity, he reached for it and looked at the caller ID.

_Unknown caller._

Just with those words, Shiro felt apprehension weigh him down. It was nothing, he told himself. Just a telemarketer.

He answered anyway.

_"Kaneki! You never showed up for our date..."_


	3. Announcement

To the people reading this on this site, I'd like to announce that I'm not going to update it here anymore. I recently had a ton of my fanfictions here taken down for 'overly explicit content', and this story is going to eventually have sex scenes in it that I refuse to glaze over. If you'd like to keep reading this please find it on Archive of Our Own. Thank you.


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